1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to finger nail clippers, and in particular, to a simplified nail clipper that can be used to cut both natural and artificial nails.
2. Description of the Related Art
Long finger nails have been popular for some time. Women, and some men, deliberately allow specific nails to grow, or others simply attach artificial nails to their existing nails to provide the appearance of longer natural finger nails.
The process of attaching artificial nails can be rather troublesome. Artificial finger nails are typically composed of elongate plastic material such as acetate or styrene with a crescent-shaped cross-section similar to that of a natural nail but much thicker. Artificial nails are typically first attached to the natural nail and then clipped to length with a series of lateral cuts across the nail to form a rough outline of desired nail curvature. The roughened edge is filed to a smooth continuous curvature and then buffed to complete the process. In the filing step, harmful plastic dust is introduced into the surrounding environment. A full set of artificial nails can take up to two hours to apply using the above process.
Attempts have been made to simplify this process for applying a set of artificial nails. One such attempt is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,190 to Gary J. Reiswig, which discloses a clipper which purportedly clips an artificial nail to its final shape with a single cut and with selective curvature to minimize the filing needed after clipping. The clipper comprises a clipper body having a stationary handle and a head section which forms a rectangular passage through which a blade is slidably housed. A movable handle pivots on the clipper body about a first pin, while a second pin couples the movable handle to the rear end of an elongated flat link. The link comprises a notch having an upper tongue insertable into a slot on the blade. A spring couples the link to the stationary handle and biases the link downwardly in a counterclockwise direction shown in FIG. 1. The notch and its upper tongue are coupled to the slot of the blade. If the movable handle is pivotally closed against the stationary handle, the notch of the link will drive the blade toward a forward position shown in phantom in FIG. 3. Upon releasing the movable handle, the spring urges the movable handle away from the stationary handle causing the upper tongue of the link to pull or retract the blade from its forward position back to its original position. The nail holder is provided with a crescent shaped aperture adapted to retain an artificial nail. In use, the movable handle is closed to cause the blade to be driven to its forward position, passing over the aperture and severing the nail held in the aperture.
While the clipper described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,190 is helpful in simplifying the process of applying a set of artificial nails, it is also relatively expensive due to its complex construction. The complex construction also compromises the reliability of the clipper. For example, the movable handle controls the sliding action of the blade through the link mechanism which couples the blade to the movable handle. Therefore, the reliability and performance of the clipper will be diminished if the notch and upper tongue of the link becomes worn or disengaged through extended or careless use. The same could happen if the spring becomes worn or loose through extended use. When the link becomes ineffective, the entire nail clipper must be replaced.
Thus, there is a need for a nail clipper that has a simple and durable construction, is reliable, safe and easy to use, and can be provided at low cost to the consumer.